Carton reclosure



Aug. 3, 1954 J1 E, MacAR'rHUR, JR 2,685,400

CARTON REcLosuRE Filed Feb. 11, 1949 :invent:

8g d www Patented Aug. 3, 1954 UNITED STATES FATENT CFFICE CARTON RECLO SURE ApplicationFebrual-y 11, 1949, Serial No. 75,766-

6 Claims. l

This invention relates to an improvement in carton closures provided with a reclosure lock.

The object of this invention is to provide in a carton a simpliiied end closure having a glued four-flap end closure that may be readily opened and then reclosed and locked by suitable tongues.

Another object of the invention is to provide a four-flap closure having the two outer flaps glued and a perforated line for severing the glued flaps to open the carton and to provide the other flaps with tongues extendable between the several portions of the glued aps to lock the carton on reclosure.

These and other novel features of the invention will be clearly and more fully described in the drawing and specication.

Figure l shows the carton blank before folding.

Figure 2 shows the carton closure closedy with a part broken away to show the seal.

Figure 3 shows the carton closure with the perforated flap severed to open the closure.

Figure 4 shows the carton being reclosed.

Figure 5 shows the tongues securing the reclosure.

The rectangular box or carton with the reclosure at one end is formed from a blank I0 shown in Figure 1. The sides I2 are deiined on the blank by the dotted score lines. For the square box shown in the drawing all the sides I2 are the same size, but if a rectangular box is desired only the opposite or alternate sides are the same size. On a free end of a side panel I2 of the box a glue flap I4 is attached by a score or fold line for use in securing the box sides together. One end of the carton may be closed by any suitable closure, such as the four flaps I6, each iiap being connected to a side panel I2 by a score or hinge line.

The carton reclosure provides a first closure that is sealed by a glue joint and a second closure or reclosure that is secured by locking tongues. This dual closure function is performed by a closure structure consisting of two inner naps and 22 attached to alternate sides I2 of the box and two outer flaps 24 and 26 attached by fold lines to the intermediate sides I2. The inner flaps' 20 and 22 have outer or meeting edges which meet at or near the center of the carton and have curved, J or L. shaped slits and 32 respectively. These slits start about one-third the distance from the side edge of the flaps 20 and 22, and rst curve sharply inward and then curve substantially parallel to the meeting edge of the naps, and end about one-third the fiap width from the other side edge. Thus the slits extend over the central third of the flaps and form tongues 34 and 36. The outer aps 24 and 26 are longer and preferably extend two-thirds of the way across the carton and thus overlap half the length of each other. In order to facilitate opening of the originally sealed carton one of the overlapping flaps 2,6 is provided with a weakened line, as by a row of perforations at 36, located closely adjacent to the edge of the iiap 24 when the flaps are glued-together in overlapping. Accordingly, the weakened line is positioned directly over the slits 20 and 32 or the base ends of the tongues 34 and 36. Upon severance at the weakened line one-third of flap 26 is left attached to the outer third of iiap 24, thus adding to the rigidity of the flap 24 upon reclosure.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the invention is not concerned with the specific dimensions, as length or width, of the sides I2. However, for convenience in referring to the arrangement of the flaps, the portions I2 to which fiaps 20 and 22 are hinged may be referred to as ends and the portions I2 to which flaps 24 and 26 are hinged, as sides The carton is formed by folding the blank I0 between the sides I2 and folding to form a square or rectangular form. The glue ap i4 is then glued to the inside of the last side I2 at the other end of the blank as shown in Figure 3. Then the flaps I6 are folded inwardly and glued with the longest flap preferably folded last to provide a smooth outer surface.

Then the reclosure end of the carton is first closed to provide a glued closure for shipping. In forming this glued closure the inner flaps 26 and 22 are first folded inwardly as shown in Figure 3. Then the outer flap 26 with the perforations 38 is folded on top of ilaps 20 and 22. Glue is applied at 40 to the portion of ap 26 between the perforations 38 and thev end of the ap, and the flap 24 is folded on top of the glued portion 40 of the flap 26. The carton is thus closed or sealed with a glue joint for delivery in this manner and is shown in Figure 2. In order to open the carton the ap 26is merely slit or broken along the perforated line 38. Then the flaps 24 and 26 will open as shown in Figure 3 and the inner flaps 26 and 22 may be readily opened.

In reclosing the carton the outer ap 26 is first folded inwardly. Then the other outer flap 24 is partially folded inwardly and engages the tongues 34 and 36 formed in flaps 20 and 22 by the slots 36 and 32 as shown in Figure 4. The flap 24 is then folded inward and on top of the tongues 34 and 36. The naps 20 and 22 which were the inner naps in the closure are now the outer naps in the reclosure. The tongues 34 and 36 extend in the same direction and through the slit formed by the perforation 38 to the under side of nap 24 as shown in Figure 5. The perforations 35 tend to frictionally hold the tongues.

Thus a simpliied closure and reclosure iiap seal for the end of a carton is provided without increasing the amount of paper required for the carton and without requiring intricate dies for cutting and forming the blank. Modications will be apparent to those skilled in the art within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a carton having four side walls, a pair of opposed flaps extending from a pair of pposed side walls, a second pair of flaps extending from another pair of opposed side walls, said first pair of naps meeting adjacent the center of the carton, tongues cut in the meeting edges of said first pair of flaps and extending in the same direction, said second pair of naps overlapping in the region of said tongues, a perforated line in a non-overlapping portion of one of said second pair of flaps so that said carton may be closed by gluing said second flaps, opened by breaking the flap on said line of perforations and reclosing with the first ila-ps outside and the tongues extending through said broken line of perforations.

2. In a carton having four flaps, an opposed pair of flaps meeting substantially at the center of the carton, tongues cut out from said naps adjacent their meeting edges, a second pair of naps overlapping at the center, a weakened line in one of said second ilaps adjacent the edge of the other, said tongues extending from a point on one side of said weakened line to a point on the other side of said weakened line, said carton being closed with the second iiaps glued together and positioned over said irst flaps, and said carton being reclosed with the first naps positioned over the second nap and said tongues extending between said glued second naps at the severed weakened line and underneath one of said second iaps.

3. In a carton having opposed side and end walls, and flaps hinged to said end walls, the outer edge of each ap being substantially midway between the end walls, curved slits forming tongues in said end flaps starting at the outer edge and curving inward and then extending parallel to said outer edge, said slits extending over the center third of said flap, side flaps hinged to said side walls and extending two-thirds across said carton, the side naps being positioned over said end aps and the overlapping portions glued together, one of said end naps having a weakened line adjacent the edge of the other flap for opening said carton and receiving said tongues on reclosure, said weakened line overlying the end of said slit, said weakened line being severable to open said carton, said tongues extending between the severed portions of said one side flap to lock the naps on reclosure.

4. In a carton having opposed side and end walls, naps hinged to said end walls, the outer edge of each flap being substantially midway between the end walls, a curved slit forming tongues in said end iiaps curving inwardly and then extending parallel to said outer edge, said slit extending over the center third of said flap, side flaps hinged to said side walls, one of said side flaps extending two-thirds across the carton, said other side nap extending one-third across the carton to a severed end, said other flap having another third glued to the outer third of said one side ap, said end nap being folded over said side flaps and the said tongues being inserted between said side naps for locking the carton reclosure.

5. In a carton having four side walls, a pair of opposed flaps extending from a pair of 0pposed side walls, a second pair of flaps extending from another pair of opposed side walls, said rst pair o1 flaps meeting adjacent the center of the carton, tongues cut in the meeting edges of said first pair of ilaps and extending in the saine direction, said second pair of flaps overlapping in the region of said tongues, sealing means for said second pair of iiaps, a weakened line in a nonoverlapping portion of one of said second pair of iiaps, said weakened line traversing the ,out tongue portions of said iii-st pair of naps, so

that the carton may be closed sealing the overlapping portions of the second pair of flaps by said sealing means, opened by severing on said weakened line and reclosing with the iirst iiaps outside and the tongues extending through said at said severed weakened line.

6. In a carton having opposed side and end walls, and flaps hinged to said end walls, the outer edge of each flap being substantially midway between the end walls, a curved slit forming a tongue in said end ilaps starting at the outer edge and curving inward and then extending parallel to said outer edge, said slit extending over the center third of said flap, side flaps hinged to said side walls and extending two-thirds across said carton, the side flaps being positioned over said end flaps and the overlapping portions glued together, one of said end flaps having a weakened line adjacent the edge oi the other flap for opening said carton and receiving said tongues on reclosure, said weakened line overlying the end of said slit, said weakened line being severable to open said carton.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,002,364 Daller May 21, 1935 2,167,917 Vogt Aug. 1, 1939 2,167,918 Vogt Aug. 1, 1939 2,337,198 Holy Dec. 21, 1943 2,390,412 Axberg Dec. 4, 1945 2,473,492 Shina June 14, 1949 

